Friday, September 20, 2013

A Collection of Common Background Songs

Have you ever been watching a movie or TV show or preview and thought to yourself "Hey, this song sounds kind of familiar... I think I've heard this song before. Lots of times! In lots of movies, TV shows, and previews... What's this song called?"

I say this to myself all the time! In my Internet searches and googlings I have not found any lists of common background songs, so I am starting my own!

Here are the first five Common Background Songs that I hear a lot in movies, TV shows and previews. I plan on adding more as I think of them. Please send me any suggestions or questions about songs you hear a lot that are not on this list. I will try to find out what they are and add them!

1. "Powerhouse" by Raymond Scott

This is the Common Background Song often heard in the background on Looney Tunes and other Warner Brother cartoons when there is an assembly line or factory setting. I thought the "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" main titles had this song as the title music, but I just listened to it again. It sounds very similar, but I think it's a different song.

If the beginning doesn't sound like the factory/assembly line music you remember, listen to the rest of the song. The first part is different from the second part.

2. "Oh Yeah" by Yellow

I know this song best from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", but it's been used in lots of movies, TV shows, and previews. I remember on some cartoon or show (I can't remember which one) they had a bunch of previews for Shelley Long movies and each one had "Oh Yeah" playing as background music.

3. "Un Homme et Une Femme" by Francis Lai

I am not sure where I've heard this song, I just know I've heard it a lot. You have too I'll bet.

4. "Holiday for Strings" by David Rose

I know this best from the Ren and Stimpy Show. It is used whenever there is a scene showcasing home goods and vacuums and stuff, 1950's style. I like this one a lot.

5. "Alligator Crawl" by Fats Waller

I, and probably most of you, know this song best as the Intermission music from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". This is a long song and only a small section of it was used and looped for the Intermission music. I have heard this used various places for Intermission music, and it is almost always a reference to Monty Python.

And that's all I have for now! If you have any suggestions, please send them my way. I would like to eventually have an exhaustive list of all the Common Background Songs that people hear a lot, but have no idea what the title of the song is or who recorded it. That way people who want to look up such things could find them without too much trouble.